Perforating machine



Nov. 21, 1933. l P. MANsEL f 1,936,201

' PERFORATING MACHINE Filed July 15, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 k /Nven/rore l PAL/1.. MA M; BL

Nov. 21, 1933. P MANSEL .1,936,201

` PERFORMING MACHINE Filed July 13,- 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented -Nov. 21, 1933 UNIT-ED STATES PATENT OFFICE assignor to Siemens schaft, Siemensstadt,

& Halske, Aktiengesellnear Berlin, Germany, a

corporation of Germany Application July 13, 1929, Serial No. 378,037, and

in Germany 8 Claims.

My invention relates to a transmitting device for electrically controlled onice machines having keyboards, for instance typewriting, calculating or similar machines for perforating or printing cards or stripsV of paper, as in machines for statistical purposes. The object of my invention is to provide an improved device for the electrical control of such machines at a distance.

Machines have' been proposed in which each individual keyof the keyboard controls a separate contact. Machines of this type present several drawbacks, among them the necessity for using as many transmitting elements as there are diierent marks or characters to be transmitted. This involves the use of a large number of magnets, with a corresponding increase in the cost of the machine. Furthermore, the

reliability of the operation is impaired owing to the fact that the large number of contacts increases the liability to failures owing to burning of contacts or their beingrendered imperfect by dust. Another drawback is the necessity for a large number of connection wires, and the fact that the connecting plugs required are unduly large so that their manipulation becomes difficult.

According to my present invention, I employ only a limited number of transmitting elements for the distant control, such number corresponding to the combination elements constituting the total number of marks or signs to be transmitted. For instance, in the particular arrangement illustrated, ve connection lines will suffice for transmitting thirty different kinds of marks or signs.

` The invention may be utilized in all cases where signs or marks are to be transmitted from a keyboard operated machine to a receiving machine, which latter may, for instance, be a 'perforating machine or a printing (typing) machine. A special advantage of my improvement resides in the fact that it may be adapted readily to existing keyboard machines, for instance to most of the oftice machines found on the market, and particularly typewriters. In View of the relatively small number of transmission lines required by my invention, the construction of the connecting plugs is very much simplified, and in the particule-r case illustrated, standard connecting plugs may be employed for the five connections. The reduced number of connecting plugs also enables the machine to be operated more rapidly and therefore to be utilized t better eect.

In t e accompanying drawings, I have shown July 2s, 192s (Cl. ri- 23)y as lan example, an embodiment of my invention in which the transmitting machine is a perforating or punching machine of the same character as the receiving machine, so that the illustration and the explanation of the operation are simplified. The views shown in said drawings are:

Fig. 1, a front elevation and Fig. 2, a side elevation of a perforating machine provided with my improvements,

Fig. 3, a side elevation of an electromagnetically operated control gear for a perforating machine according to Figs. 1 and 2, y

Fig. 4, a circuit diagram with the main mechanical control members for the electric trans-.- mission from one machine controlled by the keyboard to a receiving machine,

Fig. 5, a card carrier in plan.

Fig. 6, a register card, and

Fig. 7, a plan of the keyboard.

Referring to Fig. 1, 1 is the frame of the perforating machine at the upper part of which is located the keyboard with the key levers 2. The key levers 2' are pivoted at 4 and are maintained in their neutral position by springs 5. Below the key levers 2 are located ve control rails 6 (of a general type known in the telegraph art) with special teeth 7 and 8, said rails being adapted to' slide transversely to the key levers 2 and being resiliently kept in a denite position by springs 9. In the frame 1 there are furthermore pivoted at 10 the intermediate levers 11 which slide with noses 12 upon the circumference of the control discs 13 and by intermediate members 14 mounted upon said levers pivotally as well as resiliently come within the range of the perforating punches 15 located in a row and a pair of hammer levers 17 connected by a transverse rail 16 extending above said members 14. The hammer levers 17 are pivoted at 18 and are pulled against a stop 20 by a spring 19. On the same spindle as the levers 17 are fixed levers 21 to which are pivoted pawls 22. 'Ihe pawls 22 have noses 23 engaging the teeth of ratchet wheels 100 rigidly connected with thecontrol discs 13.

The perforating punches 15 are in known manner guided in a beam 25 and controlled byl springs 26 which return them into the raised inoperative position after they have produced a perforation. Below the punches 15 is located a die plate 27. Furthermore control levers 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 are adapted to rock upon a spindle 33 and are connected with levers 39 to 43 respectively by intermediate pieces 34 to 38 respectively. These levers 39 to 43 are in operative connection with the armatures of electro-magnets 44 to 48 respectively. These levers 28 to 32 are coupled with the control rails 6 by pins 49 to 53 respectively.

Referring to Fig. 4, the reference numeral 6a indicates the control rails of the transmitter -machine which act on the contacts 54 to 58 by means of pins 60. The contacts 54 to 58 control the circuits of the receiver' relays 44 to 48, which actuate the levers 39 to 43 by means .of their armatures. These levers 39 to 43 act upon the control rails 6 of' the receiver machine through the levers 28 to 32 respectively and the pins 49 to 53 respectively.' The electro-magnet 64 controls with its contact 64a the driving electro-magnet 59 for the perforating or printing mechanism. When this electro-magnet 59 is excited it moves the levers 17, 21 and thus effects the intermittent advance of the controldiscs 13 united into a rigid body.

The mode of operation of my improved control mechanism is as follows:

Whenever one of the key levers 2 is depressed the control rails 6 are correspondingly shifted i. e. one or more of the control rails is or are moved by a certain amount. In this way the lower teeth of the control rails 6 act on the intermediate levers 11 of which one set of four intermediate levers are always located with their noses l2 in registry with tooth spaces of the control discs 13. The remaining groups of intermediate levers 11 rest with their noses 12 on the back of the teeth V of the respective control discs 13 and are thus rail 16 of the hammer levers 17 will during the subsequent positive downward motion of the right hand portions of the levers 17 cause the depression of the desired perforating punch 15 which punches the holes into the perforation card located between the carrier 25 and the die 27. The

depression of the hammer lever 17 is eiectedby closing the contact 64a of the electro-magnet 64 and energizing the electro-magnet 59. Simultaneously the leversA 2l.with the pawls 22 are Aimoved downward. During the deenergizing of the electro-magnet 59fthe levers 17 and 21 are again pulled upwards by the spring 19. During this movement the lever"J 21 with the pawls 22 move lthe ratchet wheels and thereby' the control discs or drums 13 forward by one step. This-'at the same time, by means of a gear wheel 98, rotates a pinion 99 provided with a number drum or disc visible through a window 96, and indicating what group or set of punches is opera tive at the time.

Of the control rails 6 four are apportioned to the combination values 1, 2, 4, 8 While the fifth control rail is intended to control the punching of perforations in a special column 94 provided for identifying marks or perforations.

The perforated card feeding mechanism functions in the following manner: on the circumference of the control disc 65 slides a springcontrolled lever 66 journaled upon the spindle 67 and acting on a ratchet wheel '10 for the intermittent advance (line-spacing) of the perforated card by means of a double pawl 68, 69. The control disc 65 is provided with a recess or gap extending over half the circumference. If the nose of the lever 66 is located in this recess the pawl 68 is in engagement with the ratchet wheel 70. If on the other hand the nose of the lever 66 slides on the raised circumference of the control disc 65 the pawl 69 is in engagement with the ratchet wheel 70. The ratchet wheel 70 is rigidly connected -with the spur wheels 71 and 72. Of these two wheels the spur wheel 71 is through various spur wheels in operative connection with a number cylinder 73 indicating the number of the card line.

The number pinions 72 at both sides of the stamping or punch-gear mesh with racks which are secured to a receptacle 76 for the perforated cards. The. frame-like card receptacle 76 is arranged to slide in the lower portion of the machine frame and is guided by rods 78. The twov tension springs 80 have the tendency to pull the card receptacle 76 out of the machine frame 79. 'Ihe card placed into the card receptacle 76 is laterally guided by the racks 75. For guiding the card in the horizontal plane'guide plates 82, 83 are provided in the machine frame.

The perforating punches l5 are combined into groups of four or more punches each of which 106 groups comes into action in one of the columns j of the perforated card (Fig. 6). In each of the columns 88 to 93 may be entered indications expressed by combination values.

Of the column 94 each division is apportioned to 105 an individual column among the reml columns 88 to 93. According to whether perforations have been provided or not in one or more divisions of this column 94 each entry in the individual columns 88 to 93 may have two different 110 meanings. By the aid the marking column 94 thirty different indications may thus be reproduced in each of the other columns 88 to 93.

For producing the perforations in the special column 94, the particular punches corresponding to the groups to be perforated, are set simultaneously with the perforating punches for the other columns, but are rendered operative, independently of said other punches, only upon depression of one of the keys 95 for the signs or marks having an additional or special characterization.

In the casing or box of the machine there are provided two windows 96, 97, Figs. 7 and 1, in

which may be read the positions of the drums indicating the column or the line of the card. In

Fig. 7 of the drawings may also be seen 4in plan the keyboard 95 of the typewriting machine.

It will be evident from Fig. 1 that the teeth 7. 8 at the top of' the control rails 6 have inclined 130 surfaces which will cause one or more of such control rails tobe shifted toward the left upon the depression of certain key levers 2. The arrangement of the teeth 7, 8 on the several control rails 6 relatively to the individual key levers 2 is such 135 that depression of any one key lever will produce a diiferentresult from the depression of any other key lever. That is, depression of a certain key may shift only one of the rails 6, while depression of some other key may shift two or more of such rails simultaneously. Fig. 1 also shows that the teeth at the bottom of the control rails block the upward movement of some of the levers 11, while those levers l1 which register with spaces between such lower teeth, are free to move upward. According to the way in which .the rails 6 have been shifted laterally by the depression of one of the keys 2, diiferent levers l1 will be released for upward movement.

It will be readily understood that the embodiment of my invention illustrated by way of example in the drawings may be changed and modified in various ways in order to adapt it to specic cases occurring in practice without departing from the scope of my invention or the' ambit of the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a transmission system for electrically controlled office machines, a transmission mechanism comprising keys, control members actuated by said keys, the number of said control members being smaller than the number of said keys, and contacts governed by said control members, transmission lines associated with said contacts and equal in number to said control members,

and a receiving mechanism comprising electromagnets associated with.v the respective transmission lines, and means controlled by said electromagnets for producing at the receiving mechanism, operations corresponding to the setting of the control members at the transmitting station, the number of such control members, contacts, transmission lines, and electromagnets respectively corresponding to the number of elements by the various combinations of which the signs to be transmitted are formed, the said means including intermediate levers arranged in groups,

control members actuated by the electromagnets of said receiving mechanism and governing said intermediate levers, actuating levers connected with the individual intermediate levers, punches actuated by said actuating levers, and ratchet Wheels in operative relation to said actuating levers and associated with said intermediate levers, a control disc connected with said ratchet Wheels, and line-spacing mechanism controlled by said disc.

2. A system according to claim l, in which an indicating device is connected with the line-spacing mechanism.

3. A system according to claim 1, in which the line-spacing device consists of a lever controlled by said disc, a double pawl connected with said lever, a ratchet wheel co-operating with said pawl, a pinion rotating in unison with the said ratchet Wheel, and a card-carrier provided with a rack in mesh with said pinion.

4. In a transmission system for electrically controlled office machines, a transmission mechanism comprising keys, control members actuated by said keys, the number of said control members being smaller than the number of said keys, and contacts governed bysaid control members, transmission lines associated with said contacts and equal in number to said control members, anda receiving mechanism comprising electromagnets associated with the respective transmission lines, and means controlled by said electromagnets for producing at the receiving mechanism, operations corresponding to the setting of the control members at the transmitting station, the number of such control members, contacts, transmission lines, and electromagnets respectively corresponding to the number of elements by the various combinations of which the signs to be transmitted are formed, the said means including intermediate levers arranged in groups, control members actuated by the electromagnets of said receiving mechanism and governing said intermediate levers, actuating levers connected with the individual intermediate levers, punches actuated by said actuating levers, andratchet wheels in operative relation to said actuating levers and associated with said intermediate levers,

and adapted to mark cards intended'for statistical purposes, with combination mark symbols corresponding to the signal received, a transmission 4mechanism, comprising keys, control members actuated by said keys, and contacts governed by said control members, transmission lines associated with said contacts, and a receiving mechanism comprising electromagnets associated with the respective transmission lines, control members actuated by said electromagnets,`

intermediate levers the pivotal motion of which is normally blockedby said controlmeinbers of the receiving mechanism, but permitted when certain of these control members have been shifted, such intermediate levers being arranged in groups, an additional devicev for blocking pivotal movement of all but one group of intermediate levers at a time, and marking devices controlled by said levers and operated electrically whenever a current is sent through one or more of said transmission lines, to mark cards with combination marks corresponding to the setting of the control members of the transmission mechanism.

6. A system according to claim 5, in which the marking devices are arranged in groups corresponding to those of the intermediate levers, and in which an actuating lever is connected with each of said intermediate levers to co-operate with the respective marking device in a certain position of -the corresponding. intermediate lever,

ated by said means and located for operative engagement with said actuating levers, and operative connections from saidmovable elements to actuate said ratchet wheels.

7. A system according to claim 5, in which the control members of the receiving mechanism consist of sliding control rails, and in which the marking devices are arranged in groups corre- A sponding to those of the intermediate levers, and in which an actuatingl lever is connected with each of said intermediateA levers to co-operate with the respective marking device in a certain position of the corresponding intermediate lever, in which further the additional device for blocking pivotal movement of all but one group of intermediate levers at a time consists of control disksco-operating with said intermediate levers, said control disks having ratchet wheels associated therewith, and in which the eelctrical operation of the marking devices is eiected by electromagnetic means and movable elements actuated by said means and located for operative engagement with said actuating levers, and operative connections from said movable elements to actuate said ratchet wheels, said control rails having teeth co-operating with the intermediate levers to shift the actuating levers out of operative relation to the respective marking devices after said actuating levers having been brought into such operative relation by the action of the ratchet wheels, control disks, and control rails.

B are provided for producing'distingulshng marks isv in a column diierent from those of \the rstmentioned marks, and in which the transmission mechanism includes keys additional to those setv forth in claim 5, and operative connections lor causing the actuation of said additional marking devices by the operation of said additional keys.

PAUL IMANSEL. 

